BASKETBALL:YAO MING, China's tall man, had a diamond-sprinkled homecoming in downtown Beijing last night. In basketball, the famous refrain by the late Jim Morrison still holds true. The west is the best. The USA won by 101-70 in a match that was attended by the presidents of both nations. One billion people reputedly tuned in for this historic cultural fusion of two diametrically-opposed mega-countries who share at least one common joy: basketball.

In many ways, Ming has done as much as anyone to broaden the understanding between East and West. When Ming was recruited by the Houston Rockets almost a decade ago, he was a culturally exoticism in the States and a prize acquisition for the NBA who, in one check-mate move, earned the loyalty of the limitless Chinese audience.

For America, Yao was evidence that China was opening those famous gates. Here, at last, was flesh and blood proof of the impossible potential that the Red country would one day harvest. Ming came as an import from the mysterious East, from the home of Mao's red books, from that vast, distant factory that made Christmas toys and expensive sneakers for the Western world to enjoy.

It helped, of course, that Ming was something of a joy as a personality. It cannot be easy to distinguish himself in a country of 1.3 billion people but growing to 7ft 6ins is a good way to start and excelling at basketball, perhaps the American creation that Chinese people are most fascinated with, meant he was singled out for a special life from an early age.

He is an oddly endearing figure and even in his on-court demeanour you can see much of the boy in that big, open face, full of grimaces and wide smiles. It is true Yao was something of a project, the son of two accomplished basketball players and even after seven years of a celebrated NBA career, you can see the heavy schooling is Ming's game, so text book and deliberate in comparison to the free-wheeling, improvised jazz that his American colleagues like to lapse into given half a chance.

In fact, it is probably that almost dreamy brand of athleticism that Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade and the other USA superstars are capable of that is the most seductive element of the game for the Chinese.

One can slip into racial stereotypes but there was no question that the approach to the sport of both teams mirrors the prevailing spirit of the two vast nations. Put simply, there is an obedience to the Chinese game and a rigid adherence to team work while the Americans, although coached by Mike Krzyewski, the celebrated mastermind of the Duke basketball team and an accomplished thinker on basketball, jazz it up.

"No one has ever been in a game like this," declared Krzyewski. "This is supposed to be the most viewed game ever. That was why it was an honour and I felt our players treated it as such. We have great respect for the Chinese team and people. I thought the attention we gave Yao early worked.

"I hope their coach is proud of their kids because both teams responded at a high level to the magnitude of this game."

Krzyewski was in high diplomatic mode and despite a sideline demeanour that is the picture of human stress, he enjoyed fielding a question from a Chinese voice asking him, in halting English, if he had used his stern collegiate discipline to temper the "super-egos" of the NBA princes.

"I'm gonna tell 'em you said they had super egos! I don't think they believe that. We have our expression in our country, when you are a really good team, you play for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back. You have to dunk. They have three seven footers. There was no showing off. To me, that is hard basketball. If you don't go in hard, you are not going to score. You have a 7ft 6in guy out there who is going to block you."

Yao checked out of the match with just over four minutes left to a rousing ovation. The world leaders stealthily exited a few seconds later, leaving the stage to the big man. He loitered in the big arena for many minutes afterwards, a gentle giant and a source of curiosity and pride for his people. There was one unforgettable sight as he strode beneath the stands passing a battery of cameras and almost at eye level with the excited fans - of every nationality - as they strained low trying to touch and connect with the most famous Chinese man on the planet.